FC St. Pauli

Noah Weißhaupt on…

…the training plan during the international break: "We had three days off and obviously had to come back in this morning, but we're training as normal, just with fewer people. We watched Jackson's game with Australia in the gym and celebrated when he scored. It was all action, that's for sure. I'm really pleased for him. He'd waited a long time to score again and hopefully he'll come back feeling really confident."

…his goal against Hoffenheim: "The goal has definitely been a confidence booster. I know I can score goals again. I have to keep it up now because I want to become a bigger threat in front of goal. I am attacking the goal more compared with last year but I'd like to increase my goals and assists tally. I can work on that in training."

…his development at FC St. Pauli: "It couldn't have gone any better. It was a completely new city for me. I'd spent all my life in Freiburg before I came here. I didn't think I'd manage the change so quickly and play so much after practically playing no role at Freiburg for six months. My confidence has increased no end and my stamina and fitness are better as well. Enjoying my football is always the most important thing for me and I think you can see that on the pitch. I'm enjoying my football again and I'm really glad about that. I've progressed both as a person and a player. There've only been positives so far."

Livewires in attack: Noah Weißhaupt (right) and Danel Sinani

…the togetherness in the team: "It's like a family, I was accepted so quickly. I took the lads to my heart straightaway. That alone boosted my fighting spirit and desire to avoid the drop with this team."

…the trip to Bayern Munich: "We're approaching the game like any other, but Bayern are obviously a different calibre. They're a global club, so I'm looking forward to it even more. In recent weeks we've seen Bayern can be beaten. We have to give 100 per cent because we'll get nothing if we don't. We have to run till we drop, but we also need spells on the ball to lower the intensity a bit occasionally. If Bayern get going, it'll be tough to get in the game again, so we can't afford to let them get into the game. If we can come through the first half an hour, it could be a different game. We've held our own well against other top sides because we've defended brilliantly as a team. It's just the goals that have been lacking. I hope it'll be different this time."

…the position going into the run-in: "The win over Hoffenheim was extremely important, as it's given us a bit more breathing space. When we arrived on the coach we couldn't see the street for fireworks. It gave us an extra few per cent and I'd like to thank the fans again. We have eight cup finals now. We have to pick up points, especially against our closest rivals. Then everything will be OK hopefully."

Photos: FC St. Pauli/Witters